People use various mobile devices to retrieve, capture, and send information. Digital cameras capture pictures and video. Global positioning system (GPS) units track location and give directions to a destination. Cellular phones can be used to exchange communications with other people, and many can now be used to also exchange electronic mail (“email”). People can also use these and other mobile devices to view and/or edit documents, e.g., letters.
While information is easily accessible in electronic form, people often have to wait to transfer this information to a hard copy. People who take pictures with digital cameras wait until they are at a store or a printer at home before they can make prints of pictures. People who type a letter on a mobile device may wait until they arrive at the office to print out a copy of their letter. People who retrieve online coupons on a data-enabled cell phone may wait until they get home to make printed copies.
Because of the specialized nature of these devices, many people often carry multiple mobile devices to fulfill their information needs. For example, people carry a cell phone to communicate with other people, but often carry a separate camera to take high-resolution pictures. Carrying multiple mobile devices can be problematic in several respects, e.g., portability, convenience, etc.
Handheld devices that are capable of capturing images and video are generally known in the art. Examples include personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile telephones, and other “mobile computing devices.” Some of these mobile computing devices are also capable of electronic communications, e.g., using wireless signals including signals conforming with IEEE 802.11 and cellular telephone standards. Some of these mobile computing devices can also compute geographic position information, e.g., by using GPS or signal triangulation techniques. However, convenient printing features are generally unavailable.